The objective of online blackjack is to beat the dealer without your card total going over 21. Going over 21 is called busting and means that you lose that round. If your total stays below 21 you have a shot at beating the dealer. But the dealer must either have card total less than yours or bust himself.
The game begins with you placing your bet buy clicking on the appropriate betting options. Once you have placed your bet, click the “Deal” button. Two cards will come sliding onto the screen face up; these are your cards. Two more cards, one face up and one face down, will be dealt to the dealer. If the two cards you have total 21 by themselves you have been dealt a natural blackjack, and you win the maximum payout, usually 3:2. The only time a natural blackjack does not win is when the dealer also has a natural blackjack. In that case there is what is called a push, and your bet is returned to you. Once your hand has been played and the dealer’s hand has been played the round is over. If you wish to play again, start over with making another bet.
There are some terms that you will want to be familiar with when learning how to play online blackjack:
Stand: Standing means that you do not want anymore cards dealt to you. All you have to do is click the “Stand” button, and your card total will stand against whatever the dealer winds up with.
Hit: To hit is to be dealt more cards in hopes of raising your card total, but you will want to be careful that you do not go over 21. To hit all that is necessary to click on the “Hit” button until you have a card total that you feel is high enough to beat the dealer.
Usually the next few options are available in most online blackjack games.
Split: If you are dealt two cards with the same face value each they are a pair. And if the option is available you can split them into two separate hands. If splitting is available a “Split” button appears and you can click it if you wish to split your pair; when splitting, another bet equivalent to your original bet will be made. You will be allowed to play each hand out just like you would if you only had one hand.
Double Down: This means to double your original bet; should you win that round you would win a 3:2 payout based on the combined bet. But when doubling down, you only receive one more card and then you have to stand.
Insurance: This option is only available if the dealer’s up card is an ace. Because an ace is necessary to have a blackjack, the online casino will offer you insurance. The purpose of insurance is that you will not lose your bet if the dealer does have blackjack.
An advantage to knowing how to play blackjack online is that you alone are playing against the dealer so there are no distractions on the casino’s side of the game. And you have as long as you would like to play out your hand. You can also have a basic strategy chart pulled up in another window that you can use to play with. Ready to try online blackjack for money? Visit onlineblackjack.org to learn about the top sites for playing blackjack online.